Cognitive mediator for generating blockchain smart contracts

ABSTRACT

In an approach to generating blockchain smart contracts, one or more computer processors receive a request for a service from a user. The one or more computer processors extract one or more features from the request. The one or more computer processors determine one or more smart contract templates associated with the request based, at least in part, on the extracted one or more features. The one or more computer processors receive one or more responses to the request from one or more service providers. The one or more computer processors generate a draft smart contract based, at least in part on the determined one or more smart contract templates and the one or more received responses.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of transactionvalidation technologies, and more particularly to a cognitive mediatorfor generating blockchain smart contracts.

A blockchain is a decentralized and distributed digital ledger that canrecord transactions between two or more parties efficiently and in averifiable and permanent way. The ledger itself can also be programmedto trigger transactions automatically. A blockchain maintains acontinuously growing list of records, called blocks, secured fromtampering and revision. Each block contains a timestamp and a link to aprevious block. By design, blockchains are inherently resistant tomodification of the data—once recorded, the data in a block cannot bealtered retroactively. Through the use of a peer-to-peer network and adistributed timestamping server, a blockchain database is managedautonomously. The decentralized consensus algorithm of blockchaintechnologies allows several entities to maintain a shared record ofinformation without having to trust each other individually, sinceconsensus is formed on a per-network basis. The networked model producesa system with the advantages of censorship resistance, tamperresistance, and a system with no single point of failure.

Smart contracts are computer programs that both express the contents ofa contractual agreement and operate the implementation of the content,based on triggers provided by users of a smart contract or extractedfrom a blockchain environment. Smart contracts may have a user interfaceand often emulate the logic of contractual clauses. Smart contracts aimto provide security superior to traditional contract law and to reduceother transaction costs associated with contracting. Within the contextof blockchain, smart contracts are scripts stored on the blockchain.Since they reside on the chain, smart contracts have a unique address. Asmart contract is triggered by messages or transactions sent to itsaddress.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, a computerprogram product, and a system for generating blockchain smart contracts.The method may include one or more computer processors receiving arequest for a service from a user. The one or more computer processorsextract one or more features from the request. The one or more computerprocessors determine one or more smart contract templates associatedwith the request based, at least in part, on the extracted one or morefeatures. The one or more computer processors receive one or moreresponses to the request from one or more service providers. The one ormore computer processors generate a draft smart contract based, at leastin part on the determined one or more smart contract templates and theone or more received responses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a distributed dataprocessing environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the transformation of a smartcontract template to a smart contract by a cognitive blockchainmediator, within the distributed data processing environment of FIG. 1,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting operational steps of the cognitiveblockchain mediator, on a server computer within the distributed dataprocessing environment of FIG. 1, for creation of blockchain smartcontracts, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;and

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of components of the server computerexecuting the cognitive blockchain mediator within the distributed dataprocessing environment of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Blockchain is gaining popularity as a technology of choice for recordingtransactions that involve an exchange of services. Smart contracts arecomputer protocols that facilitate, verify, or enforce a negotiation orperformance of a contract. Difficulties may arise when attempting todetermine an adequate smart contract for a transaction based on aconversation between two or more parties. Embodiments of the presentinvention recognize that efficiency may be gained by utilizing acognitive mediator to dynamically generate a smart contract based onneeds identified by the parties involved in the transaction which canmap a conversation between the parties using natural language processing(NLP) techniques. Embodiments of the present invention enable thecreation of a blockchain smart contract at scale and via naturalinteractions, based on a set of templates. Implementation of embodimentsof the invention may take a variety of forms, and exemplaryimplementation details are discussed subsequently with reference to theFigures.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a distributed dataprocessing environment, generally designated 100, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. The term “distributed” as usedherein describes a computer system that includes multiple, physicallydistinct devices that operate together as a single computer system. FIG.1 provides only an illustration of one implementation and does not implyany limitations with regard to the environments in which differentembodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depictedenvironment may be made by those skilled in the art without departingfrom the scope of the invention as recited by the claims.

Distributed data processing environment 100 includes requestor computingdevice 104, provider computing device 108, provider computing device110, and server computer 112, interconnected over network 102. Network102 can be, for example, a telecommunications network, a local areanetwork (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet, or acombination of the three, and can include wired, wireless, or fiberoptic connections. Network 102 can include one or more wired and/orwireless networks that are capable of receiving and transmitting data,voice, and/or video signals, including multimedia signals that includevoice, data, and video information. In general, network 102 can be anycombination of connections and protocols that will supportcommunications between requestor computing device 104, providercomputing device 108, provider computing device 110, server computer112, and other computing devices (not shown) within distributed dataprocessing environment 100.

Requestor computing device 104, provider computing device 108, andprovider computing device 110 can each be a laptop computer, a tabletcomputer, a smart phone, or any programmable electronic device capableof communicating with various components and devices within distributeddata processing environment 100, via network 102. In one embodiment,provider computing device 108 and provider computing device 110 can eachrepresent any number of provider computing devices. Requestor computingdevice 104, provider computing device 108, and provider computing device110 may each be a wearable computer. Wearable computers are miniatureelectronic devices that may be worn by the bearer under, with, or on topof clothing, as well as in or connected to glasses, hats, or otheraccessories. Wearable computers are especially useful for applicationsthat require more complex computational support than merely hardwarecoded logics. In general, requestor computing device 104, providercomputing device 108, and provider computing device 110 each representsone or more programmable electronic devices or combination ofprogrammable electronic devices capable of executing machine readableprogram instructions and communicating with other computing devices (notshown) within distributed data processing environment 100 via a network,such as network 102. Requestor computing device 104 includes an instanceof user interface 105. Provider computing device 108 includes aninstance of user interface 109. Provider computing device 110 includesan instance of user interface 111.

User interface 105, user interface 109, and user interface 111 providean interface between blockchain ledger system 114 on server computer 112and a user of requestor computing device 104, a user of providercomputing device 108, and a user of provider computing device 110,respectively. In one embodiment, user interface 105, user interface 109,and user interface 111 may each be a graphical user interface (GUI) or aweb user interface (WUI) and can display text, documents, web browserwindows, user options, application interfaces, and instructions foroperation, and include the information (such as graphic, text, andsound) that a program presents to a user and the control sequences theuser employs to control the program. In another embodiment, userinterface 105, user interface 109, and user interface 111 may also eachbe mobile application software that provides an interface betweenblockchain ledger system 114 on server computer 112 and a user ofrequestor computing device 104, a user of provider computing device 108,and a user of provider computing device 110, respectively. Mobileapplication software, or an “app,” is a computer program designed to runon smart phones, tablet computers and other mobile devices. Userinterface 105, user interface 109, and user interface 111 enable a userof requestor computing device 104, a user of provider computing device108, or a user of provider computing device 110, respectively, toparticipate with other users in blockchain ledger system 114 byrequesting a service or responding to a request.

Server computer 112 can be a standalone computing device, a managementserver, a web server, a mobile computing device, or any other electronicdevice or computing system capable of receiving, sending, and processingdata. In other embodiments, server computer 112 can represent a servercomputing system utilizing multiple computers as a server system, suchas in a cloud computing environment. In another embodiment, servercomputer 112 can be a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a netbookcomputer, a personal computer (PC), a desktop computer, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, or any programmable electronicdevice capable of communicating with requestor computing device 104,provider computing device 108, provider computing device 110, and othercomputing devices (not shown) within distributed data processingenvironment 100 via network 102. In another embodiment, server computer112 represents a computing system utilizing clustered computers andcomponents (e.g., database server computers, application servercomputers, etc.) that act as a single pool of seamless resources whenaccessed within distributed data processing environment 100. Servercomputer 112 includes blockchain ledger system 114, cognitive blockchainmediator 116, and database 118. Server computer 112 may include internaland external hardware components, as depicted and described in furtherdetail with respect to FIG. 4.

Blockchain ledger system 114 is one or more of a plurality of systemsknown in the art which can be used to store records of digital value,for example, transactions, identities, assets, documents, andproperties, into an immutable ledger, or to add self-enforcing businesslogic to the ledger, such as smart contracts. In one embodiment,blockchain ledger system 114 is permissionless, i.e., a publicblockchain system open for participation to anyone. In anotherembodiment, blockchain ledger system 114 is permissioned, i.e., aprivate blockchain system available only to a closed group ofparticipants.

Cognitive blockchain mediator 116 leverages NLP and other cognitivetechnologies to capture natural interaction between parties, extractrelevant features from the interactions, identify the most relevantsmart contract template, and dynamically modify a draft smart contract,based on the identified template, to match the needs of the parties. Inthe depicted embodiment, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 is astandalone program. In another embodiment, cognitive blockchain mediator116 may be integrated into blockchain ledger system 114. In response toreceiving a request for service, cognitive blockchain mediator 116extracts relevant features from the request and determines the closestsmart contract template to the request. Cognitive blockchain mediator116 receives responses to the request from one or more service providersand generates a draft smart contract. Cognitive blockchain mediator 116determines whether the draft smart contract requires modification tomeet the needs of the requester and the one or more providers. Inresponse to determining modification is required, cognitive blockchainmediator 116 submits the draft smart contract to the requestor andproviders for further input. Once the draft smart contract includes allrequired features, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 generates a smartcontract from the draft smart contract and submits the smart contract toblockchain ledger system 114. Cognitive blockchain mediator 116 isdepicted and described in further detail with respect to FIG. 2 and FIG.3.

Database 118 is a repository for data used by blockchain ledger system114 and cognitive blockchain mediator 116. In the depicted embodiment,database 118 resides on server computer 112. In another embodiment,database 118 may reside elsewhere within distributed data processingenvironment 100 provided blockchain ledger system 114 and cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 have access to database 118. A database is anorganized collection of data. Database 118 can be implemented with anytype of storage device capable of storing data and configuration filesthat can be accessed and utilized by blockchain ledger system 114 andcognitive blockchain mediator 116, such as a database server, a harddisk drive, or a flash memory. Database 118 stores a plurality of smartcontract templates for transactions that may occur within blockchainledger system 114. Database 118 may also store additional smart contracttemplates that are not associated with blockchain ledger system 114.Database 118 may also store modified templates for further use in asubsequent transaction.

FIG. 2 is flow diagram 200 illustrating the transformation of a smartcontract template to a smart contract by cognitive blockchain mediator116, within distributed data processing environment 100 of FIG. 1, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Smart contract template 202 represents one or more smart contracttemplates, each of which is a starting point for drafting a smartcontract. A smart contract template may be used in a plurality ofscenarios where smart contracts are executed, for example, real estate,banking, various services, and product purchases. Cognitive blockchainmediator 116 starts the process of generating a smart contract bycomparing a plurality of smart contract templates stored in database118, and choosing one or more templates, such as smart contract template202, which are closest to matching the required features in a smartcontract requested by a user for a service.

After receiving additional information from the requestor of a smartcontract, if needed, and responses from one or more potential providersof the requested service, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 generates adraft smart contract, such as draft smart contract 204. Cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 fills in any blanks in smart contract template202 with the received information to create draft smart contract 204.

Cognitive blockchain mediator 116 determines whether draft smartcontract 204 meets the needs of the requestor and the providers or ifdraft smart contract 204 needs additional modification. Draft smartcontract 204 may need additional modification if any of the requiredfeatures are left blank, or if particular terms or conditions need to beadded or removed. Cognitive blockchain mediator 116 reviews draft smartcontract 204 for completeness to determine whether draft smart contract204 needs any additional modification. Once all parties agree that draftsmart contract 204 adequately addresses all needs and features requiredby the requestor and the one or more providers, and therefore needs noadditional modification, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 generatessmart contract 206 from draft smart contract 204 and submits smartcontract 206 to be recorded on blockchain ledger system 114.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting operational steps of cognitiveblockchain mediator 116, on server computer 112 within distributed dataprocessing environment 100 of FIG. 1, for creation of blockchain smartcontracts, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Cognitive blockchain mediator 116 receives a request for a service (step302). Cognitive blockchain mediator 116 receives a request for a servicewhen a requestor, i.e., a user of requestor computing device 104,submits the request to blockchain ledger system 114, via user interface105. In one embodiment, the requestor submits the request in naturallanguage. The requestor may submit the request via speech, text, images,video, etc. The service requested may be, for example, to borrow money,to buy merchandise such as a house or a product, or to obtain a service,such as a home repair or cable service. In one embodiment, blockchainledger system 114 sends the request to cognitive blockchain mediator116.

Cognitive blockchain mediator 116 extracts relevant features from therequest (step 304). Natural language processing (NLP) is a field ofcomputer science, artificial intelligence, and linguistics concernedwith the interactions between computers and human (natural) languages.As would be recognized by a person of skill in the art, cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 uses NLP to analyze the received request andextract features or attributes, such as intents, emotions, entities,image information, and other textual information. Entities are words ofinterest that share a common property and may include, for example,people, places or things. For example, if the request is to buy a house,features may include a location, such as a city or state, a price range,a size, a time frame for purchase, a sense of urgency, etc. Byextracting features of the request, cognitive blockchain mediator 116can determine the context of the request with respect to available smartcontract templates stored in database 118.

Cognitive blockchain mediator 116 determines the closest smart contracttemplates to the request (step 306). Cognitive blockchain mediator 116compares the extracted features from the received request to one or moresmart contract templates stored in database 118 and determines one ormore smart contract templates that are the closest appropriate templatesfor the request. In one embodiment, the comparison is made across Ndimensional space, where N represents an integer greater than two thatquantifies the number of features included in the request. For example,if the request is to buy a house, and the features are location, price,size, time frame, and sense of urgency, then N equal five. Cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 may use one or more of a plurality of techniquesknown in the art to perform the comparison. In one embodiment, cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 may employ a ranking or scoring technique todetermine the closest smart contract template. For example, cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 may determine the number of features from therequest that are included in each available smart contract template, andscore the smart contract templates based on the number of requiredfeatures included.

Cognitive blockchain mediator 116 determines whether the requestedfeatures meet a requirement threshold of the closest smart contracttemplates (decision block 308). In order to use one or more of theclosest smart contract templates, cognitive blockchain mediator 116determines whether the minimum required features of the templates arewell defined in the request. In one embodiment, the minimum requiredfeatures are defined by the smart contract template author. In anembodiment where cognitive blockchain mediator 116 includes a machinelearning component, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 may modify smartcontract templates over time to require other features that were notinitially required, but have been added to smart contracts in the past.

If cognitive blockchain mediator 116 determines the requested featuresdo not meet a requirement threshold of the closest smart contracttemplates (“no” branch, decision block 308), then cognitive blockchainmediator 116 prompts the requestor for additional information (step310). If cognitive blockchain mediator 116 could not extract enoughfeatures to meet the requirement threshold required by the closest smartcontract templates from the request, then cognitive blockchain mediator116 prompts the requestor to provide the missing features. In anembodiment, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 may prompt the requestor,via user interface 105, using one of a plurality of messaging techniquesknown in the art. After receiving additional information from therequestor, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 returns to decision block308 to determine if all required features are available.

If cognitive blockchain mediator 116 determines that the closest smartcontract templates meet a requirement threshold (“yes” branch, decisionblock 308), then cognitive blockchain mediator 116 receives a responseto the request from one or more service providers (step 312). As one ormore users of blockchain ledger system 114, for example, the users ofprovider computing device 108 and provider computing device 110, respondto the request for service, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 receivesthe response. In an embodiment, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 usesone or more NLP techniques to extract information from the responses. Inone embodiment, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 may define a timeframewithin which all responses are required to be received. For example,cognitive blockchain mediator 116 may accept responses up to a week or amonth from the receipt of the request for service. In one embodiment,blockchain ledger system 114 sends the response to cognitive blockchainmediator 116.

Cognitive blockchain mediator 116 generates a draft smart contract (step314). Based on the received request, the received one or more responses,and the closest smart contract templates, cognitive blockchain mediator116 chooses a smart contract template and generates a draft smartcontract that contains the requested features and one or more conditionsstipulated in the responses. In one embodiment, cognitive blockchainmediator 116 may determine that the currently available smart contracttemplates are inadequate for the current request. For example, cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 may determine that, based on the request and theresponses, a combination of two or more smart contract templates is thebest solution. In another example, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 maydetermine that the closest smart contract template requires significantchanges to meet the needs of the request and the response. In theembodiment, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 may dynamically draft anew smart contract template based on the received request and thereceived one or more responses, and use the new smart template as thebasis for the draft smart contract. In the embodiment where cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 dynamically drafts a new smart contracttemplate, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 stores the new smartcontract template in database 118 for subsequent use.

Cognitive blockchain mediator 116 determines whether the draft smartcontract requires modification (decision block 316). Cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 reviews the draft smart contract forcompleteness and determines whether there are any items that are notcovered. In one embodiment, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 mayperform a gap analysis on the draft smart contract. For example, thedraft smart contract itself may need modification to include terms orconditions that were not included in the closest smart contracttemplate. In another example, the draft smart contract terms may becomplete, however there may be gaps in the information extracted fromthe request or from the responses with which cognitive blockchainmediator 116 fills in the terms or conditions. In either case, the draftsmart contract may need modification. In one embodiment, cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 may determine that for a particular type ofcontract or transaction, there is a minimum requirement of items thatmust be included, and cognitive blockchain mediator 116 determineswhether the minimum requirement is filled. In addition, cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 may have learned from previous smart contracttransactions that the scenario for which the current draft smartcontract is used requires additional details. For example, cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 may have learned that for a real estatetransaction in a particular state, specific details of the address arerequired.

If cognitive blockchain mediator 116 determines the draft smart contractrequires modification (“yes” branch, decision block 316), then cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 submits the draft smart contract with items notcovered (step 318). Cognitive blockchain mediator 116 submits the draftsmart contract to blockchain ledger system 114 such that the user ofrequestor computing device 104 and the one or more service providersthat responded to the request, for example, the users of providercomputing device 108 and provider computing device 110, may review thedraft and determine what information is missing in order to complete thesmart contract, via user interface 105, user interface 109, and userinterface 111, respectively. In an embodiment, cognitive blockchainmediator 116 highlights the areas in the draft smart contract for whichadditional information is needed. In an embodiment where the items thatare not covered are solely the responsibility of the requestor,cognitive blockchain mediator 116 submits the draft to the attention ofthe requestor. In an embodiment where the items that are not covered aresolely the responsibility of the one or more providers, cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 submits the draft smart contract to theattention of the one or more providers that need to add additionalinformation to the draft smart contract. In one embodiment, cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 may provide one or more suggestions for theitems that are not covered.

Cognitive blockchain mediator 116 receives an updated request andresponse to the updated request (step 320). In response to receiving thedraft smart contract with items not covered, the user of requestorcomputing device 104 and the one or more service providers thatresponded to the request, for example, the users of provider computingdevice 108 and provider computing device 110, provide the missinginformation, via user interface 105, user interface 109, and userinterface 111, respectively, to complete the smart contract. In anembodiment where the items that are not covered are solely theresponsibility of the requestor, cognitive blockchain mediator 116receives the updated request from the requestor. In an embodiment wherethe items that are not covered are solely the responsibility of the oneor more providers, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 receives theresponse from the one or more providers that needed to add additionalinformation to the draft smart contract. In response to receiving theupdated request and response to the updated request, cognitiveblockchain mediator 116 returns to decision block 316 to determinewhether the draft smart contract requires any additional modification.In one embodiment, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 may determine thatthe current draft smart contract is inadequate for the updated requestor response. For example, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 maydetermine that a new sub-clause is required to be added to cover aparticular term or condition. In the embodiment, cognitive blockchainmediator 116 may dynamically draft a new draft smart contract. In theembodiment where cognitive blockchain mediator 116 dynamically drafts anew draft smart contract, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 may storethe new draft smart contract as a template in database 118 forsubsequent use.

Responsive to determining the draft smart contract does not requiremodification (“no” branch, decision block 316), cognitive blockchainmediator 116 generates and submits the smart contract (step 322). Whenall terms and conditions are defined to the satisfaction of therequestor and the one or more providers, cognitive blockchain mediator116 submits a smart contract to blockchain ledger system 114 for reviewby the requestor, i.e., the user of requestor computing device 104, andthe one or more providers, for example, the users of provider computingdevice 108 and provider computing device 110, via user interface 105,user interface 109, and user interface 111, respectively.

Cognitive blockchain mediator 116 receives a choice of provider (step324). As is known in the art, the smart contract executes on blockchainledger system 114 via peer consensus for the best provider to respond tothe request for service. In response to the execution of the peerconsensus on blockchain ledger system 114, cognitive blockchain mediator116 receives the choice of the provider that will provide the requestedservice to the requestor. For example, the peer consensus may choose theuser of provider computing device 108 over the user of providercomputing device 110. In one embodiment, blockchain ledger system 114sends the choice of the provider to cognitive blockchain mediator 116.

Cognitive blockchain mediator 116 records the smart contract onblockchain ledger system 114 (step 326). In response to the receipt ofthe provider choice, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 records the smartcontract on blockchain ledger system 114 with the required transactions.For example, if the provider choice was for the user of providercomputing device 108, cognitive blockchain mediator 116 records thesmart contract with required transactions between the user of requestorcomputing device 104 and provider computing device 108.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of components of server computer 112within distributed data processing environment 100 of FIG. 1, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. It should beappreciated that FIG. 4 provides only an illustration of oneimplementation and does not imply any limitations with regard to theenvironments in which different embodiments can be implemented. Manymodifications to the depicted environment can be made.

Server computer 112 can include processor(s) 404, cache 414, memory 406,persistent storage 408, communications unit 410, input/output (I/O)interface(s) 412 and communications fabric 402. Communications fabric402 provides communications between cache 414, memory 406, persistentstorage 408, communications unit 410, and input/output (I/O)interface(s) 412. Communications fabric 402 can be implemented with anyarchitecture designed for passing data and/or control informationbetween processors (such as microprocessors, communications and networkprocessors, etc.), system memory, peripheral devices, and any otherhardware components within a system. For example, communications fabric402 can be implemented with one or more buses.

Memory 406 and persistent storage 408 are computer readable storagemedia. In this embodiment, memory 406 includes random access memory(RAM). In general, memory 406 can include any suitable volatile ornon-volatile computer readable storage media. Cache 414 is a fast memorythat enhances the performance of processor(s) 404 by holding recentlyaccessed data, and data near recently accessed data, from memory 406.

Program instructions and data used to practice embodiments of thepresent invention, e.g., blockchain ledger system 114, cognitiveblockchain mediator 116, and database 118, can be stored in persistentstorage 408 for execution and/or access by one or more of the respectiveprocessor(s) 404 of server computer 112 via memory 406. In thisembodiment, persistent storage 408 includes a magnetic hard disk drive.Alternatively, or in addition to a magnetic hard disk drive, persistentstorage 408 can include a solid-state hard drive, a semiconductorstorage device, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmableread-only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, or any other computer readablestorage media that is capable of storing program instructions or digitalinformation.

The media used by persistent storage 408 may also be removable. Forexample, a removable hard drive may be used for persistent storage 408.Other examples include optical and magnetic disks, thumb drives, andsmart cards that are inserted into a drive for transfer onto anothercomputer readable storage medium that is also part of persistent storage408.

Communications unit 410, in these examples, provides for communicationswith other data processing systems or devices, including resources ofrequestor computing device 104, provider computing device 108, andprovider computing device 110. In these examples, communications unit410 includes one or more network interface cards. Communications unit410 may provide communications through the use of either or bothphysical and wireless communications links. Blockchain ledger system114, cognitive blockchain mediator 116, and database 118 may bedownloaded to persistent storage 408 of server computer 112 throughcommunications unit 410.

I/O interface(s) 412 allows for input and output of data with otherdevices that may be connected to server computer 112. For example, I/Ointerface(s) 412 may provide a connection to external device(s) 416 suchas a keyboard, a keypad, a touch screen, a microphone, a digital camera,and/or some other suitable input device. External device(s) 416 can alsoinclude portable computer readable storage media such as, for example,thumb drives, portable optical or magnetic disks, and memory cards.Software and data used to practice embodiments of the present invention,e.g., blockchain ledger system 114, cognitive blockchain mediator 116,and database 118 on server computer 112, can be stored on such portablecomputer readable storage media and can be loaded onto persistentstorage 408 via I/O interface(s) 412. I/O interface(s) 412 also connectto a display 418.

Display 418 provides a mechanism to display data to a user and may be,for example, a computer monitor. Display 418 can also function as atouchscreen, such as a display of a tablet computer.

The programs described herein are identified based upon the applicationfor which they are implemented in a specific embodiment of theinvention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular programnomenclature herein is used merely for convenience, and thus theinvention should not be limited to use solely in any specificapplication identified and/or implied by such nomenclature.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be any tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, a segment, or aportion of instructions, which comprises one or more executableinstructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In somealternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occurout of the order noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown insuccession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or theblocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending uponthe functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles ofthe embodiment, the practical application or technical improvement overtechnologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinaryskill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

What is claimed is: 1.-7. (canceled)
 8. A computer program product forgenerating blockchain smart contracts, the computer program productcomprising: one or more computer readable storage devices and programinstructions stored on the one or more computer readable storagedevices, the stored program instructions comprising: programinstructions to receive a request for a service from a user; programinstructions to extract one or more features from the request; based, atleast in part, on the extracted one or more features, programinstructions to determine one or more smart contract templatesassociated with the request; program instructions to receive one or moreresponses to the request from one or more service providers; and based,at least in part on the determined one or more smart contract templatesand the one or more received responses, program instructions to generatea draft smart contract.
 9. The computer program product of claim 8, thestored program instructions further comprising: program instructions todetermine whether the extracted one or more features meet a minimumrequired threshold of the one or more determined smart contracttemplates; and responsive to determining the extracted one or morefeatures do not meet a minimum required threshold of the one or moredetermined smart contract templates, program instructions to prompt theuser for additional information.
 10. The computer program product ofclaim 8, the stored program instructions further comprising: programinstructions to determine whether the draft smart contract requiresmodification; program instructions to submit the draft smart contract tothe user and to the one or more service providers for additionalinformation needed to generate a smart contract; program instructions toreceive at least one of a response from the user and a response from theone or more service providers; program instructions to generate thesmart contract, based, at least in part, on the received at least one ofthe response from the user and the response from the one or more serviceproviders; and program instructions to submit the smart contract to ablockchain ledger.
 11. The computer program product of claim 8, whereinthe one or more features are selected from the group consisting ofintents, emotions, entities, image information, and textual information.12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the programinstructions to determine the one or more smart contract templatesassociated with the request comprise program instructions to compare theone or more smart contract templates to the one or more extractedfeatures across N dimensional space, where N represents an integergreater than two that quantifies a number of features included in therequest.
 13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein theprogram instructions to extract one or more features from the requestcomprise program instructions to use one or more natural languageprocessing techniques.
 14. The computer program product of claim 8,wherein the request for a service is selected from the group consistingof borrowing money, buying merchandise, and obtaining a service.
 15. Acomputer system for generating blockchain smart contracts, the computersystem comprising: one or more computer processors; one or more computerreadable storage devices; program instructions stored on the one or morecomputer readable storage devices for execution by at least one of theone or more computer processors, the stored program instructionscomprising: program instructions to receive a request for a service froma user; program instructions to extract one or more features from therequest; based, at least in part, on the extracted one or more features,program instructions to determine one or more smart contract templatesassociated with the request; program instructions to receive one or moreresponses to the request from one or more service providers; and based,at least in part on the determined one or more smart contract templatesand the one or more received responses, program instructions to generatea draft smart contract.
 16. The computer system of claim 15, the storedprogram instructions further comprising: program instructions todetermine whether the extracted one or more features meet a minimumrequired threshold of the one or more determined smart contracttemplates; and responsive to determining the extracted one or morefeatures do not meet a minimum required threshold of the one or moredetermined smart contract templates, program instructions to prompt theuser for additional information.
 17. The computer system of claim 15,the stored program instructions further comprising: program instructionsto determine whether the draft smart contract requires modification;program instructions to submit the draft smart contract to the user andto the one or more service providers for additional information neededto generate a smart contract; program instructions to receive at leastone of a response from the user and a response from the one or moreservice providers; program instructions to generate the smart contract,based, at least in part, on the received at least one of the responsefrom the user and the response from the one or more service providers;and program instructions to submit the smart contract to a blockchainledger.
 18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the one or morefeatures are selected from the group consisting of intents, emotions,entities, image information, and textual information.
 19. The computersystem of claim 15, wherein the program instructions to determine theone or more smart contract templates associated with the requestcomprise program instructions to compare the one or more smart contracttemplates to the one or more extracted features across N dimensionalspace, where N represents an integer greater than two that quantifies anumber of features included in the request.
 20. The computer system ofclaim 15, wherein the program instructions to extract one or morefeatures from the request comprise program instructions to use one ormore natural language processing techniques.
 21. The computer programproduct of claim 8, the stored program instructions further comprisingprogram instructions to determine the extracted one or more featuresmeet a minimum required threshold of the one or more determined smartcontract templates.